Things to know about Meranda

I read too much. • I listen to NPR, and the only TV I see on a regular basis is the news. • I used to fight with my dad to be the first to read all the sections of the newspaper — except sports. • When I was little I wanted to be an artist. • I'm one of seven kids. • I'm a recovering newspaper reporter, currently getting my journalism fix as an associate editor at a magazine. • As a young girl I would leave our table at restaurants and walk up to strangers to say hello. • I began teaching myself HTML at age 10. • I picked journalism as a major expecting to fail. • My dream jobs are producing content for the NYTimes.com and writing for WIRED magazine. • I love what I do.

Wise Words

We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. But within this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we live.